Current collector



Feb. 3, 1925.

S. S. MATTHES CURRENT COLLECTOR Filed May 11. 1925 "K519i, awa /4 Patented Feb. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES P APT ENT Fl OE SAMUEL S. MATTHESI- OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 THE OHIO BRASS COM PANY, OFTJTANSFIELD, OHIO, A CORPORATION UF NEW'JEBJSEYT CURRENT COLLECTOR.

Application filed. May 11,

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. Mirrrrrns, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Current Collectors. o'l which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to trolley harps or trolley heads and has particular use in collecting electric currents from a conductor and has especial application for use in connection with trolley busses or vehicles which may travel to either side of the center line of the trolley wire or directly in line therewith as in the case of what is known as trackless trolley operation.

One of the objects of my invention is to produce a harp in which the contacting element which may bea grooved wheel or roller, or sliding contactor, is mounted to pivot freelyand maintainits alinement with the trolley wire at all times and under all conditions. There are harps known as alining harps which have the contacting element yieldingly held'in a predetermined position relative to the other parts of theharp, there by permittingthe contacting element to swing or pivot out of its predetermined position, but which isreturned to its normal position under action of means provided for such functioning. Usually-such movement is V opposed by the alining means. In my present invention I mount the collecting element to swinger pivot freely as a trolley pole to which the invention is secured may at times make an angle to either side ofthe trolley wire as great as to degrees and this requires not'only great freedom to respond quickly to any movement of the trolley pole out of alinement with the trolley wire'but a wide range of rotation.

It is also the object of-my invention to provide means for conducting the current as directly and as efliciently as possible from the trolleywires to the car or bus. I also provide means to protect the invention from F fouling or becomingentangled with the trolley and support wires should the device embodying my invention. jump the trolley wire. It will be very apparent that should the current collecting device leave the trolley wire and the contactor be rotated sufiiciently from alinement with the axis of the 1923. Serial No. 638,160.

pole, that the trolley wire would very easily become lodged in the space between the contactor and the adjacent parts, and great damage would result to the overhead wires, to the current collector and possibly the roof of the bus. I overcome this fault by keeping the clearance at all times between the-contactor and adjacent parts where the wire is liable to catch sufficiently small to prevent such results, as will be explained more fully. In the drawing accompanying this specifiration Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of my invention.

Fig. 2 shows a sectional 'view on the line 2- of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows atop view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view'of 'the'upper end of a spring cont actor described later on.

In the preferred embodiment of my in vention I employ a body member 1 provided with a recess 2- therein to receive a conductor cable 3 which is held in place by means of a set screw 41. The bodymember 1 is provided with a socket memberS to receive a trolley pole6. The socket5iis secured to the pole?) by means of bolts and nuts 7. Thebody member 1 is also provided with a socket memberS recessed to receive a turret member 94 Mount-ed inthe socket member 8 is a circular ball race 10 preferably made of hardened steel. The lower end of the member 8 is reduced in section.

The turret member 9 is provided with two upwardly projecting 'i'orkmembers-11 the upper end of which is provided with an opening in which is mounted the pin 12, held in place by'means ot' the cotter pins 13. Mounted upon the pin 12 is a rotatable current collectinomember 14 provided with a groove 15 to receive the trolley wire 16. Projecting downwardly and positioned within-the reoess or" the socketuneinberS is-a. projecting member 17 havingits lower end ofsuch size as to fit within the reduced opening at the lower end of the'socketmember 8: The upper end of the'member 17 .is-provided with a circular ball race 19 also preferably made of hardened steel, and positioned. between the ball race 10 and theball' race =19 is a plurality of balls 20 -to support and take the downward thrust of the turret member with respect'to the body member-1.

The projecting member 17 is provided with an opening passing therethrough, the upper part of the opening being larger than the lower part. Passing through this opening is a stud 21 preferably of high electrical conducting material. Surrounding the upper end of the stud 21 is a spring 22 resting upon the shoulder 23 of the member 17. To the lower end of the stud 21 is secured a washer 24 in adjustable relation to the stud, and held in adjusted position by means of the cotter pin 25 positioned within a slot 2 6 of the washer 24C. The upper end of the stud 21 is enlarged as compared with that of the lower end, thereby forming a shoulder 27 which may at times rest upon the shoulder 23, thereby preventing the stud from dropping through the opening in which it is positioned. The upper end of the stud 21 is reduced in size as compared with that portion immediately adjacent, and is provided with a nut 28 secured in place by the cotter pin 29. The stud 21 supports a spring conducting contactor 30 which is secured to the stud 21 by means of the nut 28 and the upper end of the cont/actor 30 is provided with "a slot 31 as shown in Fig. 4 and through which passes the pin 12. The spring contactor 30 is of U shaped for-ma tion and its upper ends span the current colloctor l4: and engages the opposite sides thereof. The contaotor 30 is preferably made of copper or other high electrical con ducting material.

Projecting from the outer "faces of the fork members 11 are wings 32 which aid in preventing the device fouling on the overhead system if the device leaves the trolley wire.

it will be noted that the spring 22 bearing against the shoulder and against the member 30 immediately surrounding the stud 21 tends to move the stud upwardly and the turret member downwardly. This action causes the turret to seat firmly against the balls 20 and the washer 24 to seat firmly against the lower face of the socket member 8, but in yielding relation and, therefore, I secure efiicient electrical conductivity between the parts and at the same time do not retard the free rotation of the turret member about its axis with respect to the body member.

The construction gives a high conducting path from the trolley Wire through the various parts to the body member 1, there by shunting the current to a large degree around the anti-friction ball bearing joint, and this serves to protect the balls and the ball race to a large degree from a pitting action due to the passage of high currents through the anti-friction hearing which would be the case with the high conductive shunt. The member 30 being slotted as at ill. there is provided a leeway for the ad 'ustnient of the tension in the spring 22.

Modifications will readily suggest them selves to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein made.

I claim:

1.. A current collecting device comprising a body member, a turret mounted to rotate in the body member about a substantially vertical axis, a conducting element mounted within the turret and engaging the body member and a spring maintaining the turret and the conducting element in yielding engagement with a body member. I

2. A current collecting device comprising a body member, a turret mounted to rotate in the body member about a. substantially vertical axis, a collecting element mounted in the support, conducting means composed of high electrical conductivity material passing through the interior of the support and having means at one end engaging the collecting element and means at the other end engaging the body member and means to yieldingly maintain the turret in position in the body member anl the conducting means in engagement with the body member.

3. A current collecting device comprising a body member, a turret to rotate in the body member about a substantially vertical axis, a collecting element mounted on the turret to rotate therewith, current conducting means to engage the collecting element and the body member and a common means to yieldingly maintain the turret in position and the conducting means in engagement with the body member.

4. A current collecting device comprising a body member. a turret to rotate relative to the body member about a substantially 'vertical axis, a collecting element mounted on the turret to rotate therewith, current conducting means of high electrical conductive material engaging the collecting element atone end and the body member at the other end to form a shunt around the turret member and means to yieldingly maintain the conducting element in engagement with the body member.

5). A current collecting device comprising a body member. a turret to rotate relative to the body member about a substantially ver tical axis, a collecting element mounted on the turret to rotate therewith, current conducting meaus of high electrical conductive material engaging the collecting element at one end and the body member at the other end to form a shunt around the turret member and rotatable with the turret, and means to yieldingly maintain the conducting element. in engagement with the body member.

6. A current collecting device comprising a body member. a turret rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, a current collecting clement mounted on the turret, a conducting means to shunt the current from the collecting element to the body member and resilient means mounted Within the turret to maintain the turret in position.

7. A. current collecting device comprising a body member, a turret mounted on the body member to rotate relative thereto about a substantially vertical axis, a collecting element mounted on the turret, antitriction means interposed between the body member and the turret, conducting means mounted co-axially with the turret member and resilient means to maintain the turret in relation to the body member.

8. A current collecting device comprising a body member, a rotatable member mounted to rotate relative to the body member and movable along a substantial v vertical axis relative to the body member, a current collecting element mounted on the rotatable member, a conducting element engaging the collecting element and the body member to shunt the current around the rotatable member and having its axis in common with that of the rotatable member and means interposed between the rotatable member and the conducting element to move the said member and element in opposite directions along the common axis.

9. A current collecting device comprising a body member, a turret to rotate relative to the body member about a substantially vertical axis, anti-friction means interposed between the body and turret, a current collecting element mounted on the turret and a yielding conducting means interposed between the turret and body to shunt the current around the anti-friction means.

10. A current collecting device comprising a body member, a turret to rotate relative to the body member about a substantially vertical axis, anti-friction means interposed between the body and turret, a current collecting element mounted on the turret and a vertically acting yielding conducting means interposed between the turret and body to shunt the current around the anti-friction means.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

SAMUEL S. MATTHES. 

